Burcon Sunday with Jared, Jensen and Felicia Day

Sunday was another rather emotional day thanks to the recent election.

In the morning gold panel, Jared said that he had messaged Misha when the results came in and was worried when he didn’t respond right away. Forty eight hours later he got back a sad frowny face. Both Jared and Jensen applauded Misha for his efforts to get people to vote, saying how proud they are of him. I’ve said it before, but I just love how supportive they all are of each other.

In response to some fans whose lives have been changed by the show, Jared reminded us all that #AlwaysKeepFighting is also a metaphor for the show – that it’s important to make a difference that lasts.

During the gold panel, a fan asked Jared and Jensen what their most elaborate prank was.

Jared: Getting Trump elected?

Jensen: (shaking his head) Too soon, man.

They both miss their kids when they have to be away a lot – Jared said that the hardest thing was his sons asking how many days he’ll be gone when he leaves.

Jared: But I love my job.

He glanced sideways at Jensen with a smirk.

Jared: And I can deal with my costar I guess…

On a lighter note, they talked about some of the recent episodes. Jared said that the description of Hitler in the script was as “Richard Simmons on too much caffeine”, so I guess that actor did a pretty damn good job.

Jensen said that his initial reaction to the grenade launcher was the same as Dean’s – so was his disappointment.

Grenade launcher!

No grenade launcher…

I asked him later if that had been scripted or ad libbed (because that’s a game I like to play with my favorite show). As I suspected, the dialogue wasn’t scripted – they of course stayed within the frame of what was written, but then, as Jensen put it, ‘we got to play’. Those are invariably the scenes that ring the most true, and this was no exception.

Jensen: They trust enough to let us play.

Dean falling over the gate and Sam going around it was another improvised scene, this time by the director. Jensen played up the pratfall masterfully. They both know their characters so well, they said, that they can just ‘be’ Sam and Dean, and let the scene play out.

Jared: I feel comfortable just being Sam, and finding what happens in the moment.

Jensen: If you’re over rehearsed, you’re not available for the other actor.

Another example they shared of those scenes that are unscripted (and therefore often the most powerful): That moment when Dean punches Sam after being tortured by possessed!Sam in Born Under a Bad Sign. In other words, one of the scenes that hooked me on Supernatural. I guess I’ve been playing this game a long long time.

Jensen also talked about an episode coming up where Dean is abruptly and dramatically changed. (Something like de-aging, perhaps? I swear this show really is fanfiction come to life…) He really enjoyed the challenge of filming that, and I can’t wait to see the results!

Between J2 panels, fan favorite Felicia Day took the stage. Richard gave her the perfect introduction:

Richard: If you don’t love her character or what she does, well, you are in the wrong room!

Felicia talked about her upcoming stint on MST3K reboot and said that yes, she’d love to do something with the Hillywood Show. Which, gotta say, would be awesome!

Of course she also talked about Charlie, who we all miss terribly.

Felicia: Charlie is so much cooler than I am, she’s secure in her principles in a way that she’ll never apologize for. I try to channel her.

Me too, Felicia. Me too.

She gave Robbie Thompson props for his amazing writing that created such an incredible character and made her so real.

Me: Tissues… Also, Robbie!!!

And yes, she would love to come back to Supernatural.

Felicia: Call me…

She also had some amusing behind the scenes tidbits to share. For example, she watched Jensen and Jared give Misha a wedgie and a wet willie while filming the one episode in which she got to work with all of them. Poor Misha.

In the scene where she’s playing evil!Charlie and she’s supposed to steal Dean’s shot and toss it back, Felicia ended up throwing water all over her face. And yet Jensen didn’t break.

Felicia: Just his jaw twitched…

She said that writing her book helped her come to terms with her own anxiety and get to a healthier place where she was more able to be herself. Many of the fans and cast members who wrote chapters for our upcoming book did the same, with impressive courage and candor. Writing really can be therapeutic, and help us understand ourselves – and each other.

Felicia too touched on post-election America.

Felicia: We might be entering a time when it’s harder to be different. But we are much stronger together.

Jared and Jensen returned to thunderous applause for the afternoon panel.

In response to what was probably a question about pranks (Drink!), Jensen said that what he and Jared have learned over the years is it’s better to be on the same team.

Jared: Pinky swear?

Jensen: (pushes his hand down) lol

Being on the same team is definitely not a problem. At one point, Jared needed to wipe his nose and Jensen just calmly offered his shirt sleeve – which Jared then used to wipe his nose. It clearly wasn’t the first time, or probably the hundredth. I was reminded of the very first time I saw the two of them onstage, and how they told the story of the “Eyelash incident” where they forgot that they were in public at a restaurant and Jensen just leaned in and pulled an eyelash that was headed for Jared’s eye. When he realized what he was doing he quickly told Jared, “Quick, chug your beer, chug your beer!”

Now they’re comfortable enough to offer a sleeve for a runny nose, and it just makes me love them more.

Jared admitted that he owns the picture of himself on the horse with the cowboy hat from The Frnech Mistake.

Jared: it’s in my garage.

Jensen: It’s above his bed.

Jared teased Jensen about being older than him.

Jared: We started Supernatural when I was 22. And Jensen was…. 34…

Jensen: Yeah, you got older and I stayed the same…

There was a discussion about how the show might end, which they didn’t entirely agree on. Jared’s possible choice for how the show ends? Sam and Dean sitting on the Impala watching the stars. Jensen’s? They head off into the woods for 20 years, just the two of them. Until something brings them out of retirement (and possibly into a film deal…)

While neither of them is opposed to a body swap episode – and in fact the original script for Swap Meat called for Sam and Dean to switch bodies – Jared isn’t sure he wants to play Dean.

Jared: I don’t wanna do a body swap with you, it hurts to walk bowlegged

Tim Omundson crashed the panel to ask the boys for autographs for a family member.

Then they all took an SPNFamily selfie onstage.

Jensen gave at least half the audience goosebumps when he said that he knows Dean’s gun so well that he could instantly tell when they gave him a copy. (They rent the guns from a prop house, and they rented it out to a film so gave him a replica for the start of season 12). Apparently he threw a little fit.

Me: He really IS Dean Winchester.

Jared tried to calm him down using his parenting skills.

Jared: Do you have poopoo? Is it time for bed?

Jensen: Yes.

Poop was a repeated theme for this con, oddly.

In other Show-as-fanfiction news, Jared’s favorite version of Sam was Soulless!Sam and Jensen’s favorite version of Dean was Demon!Dean. They then began pitching a road trip episode with those two characters, which I’m fairly certain I’ve already read on A03.

Jared said that if he ever directed Supernatural, he would want it to be an hour long gag reel.

Everyone: is totally on board with that

Jared: My favorite times are when we get to play around.

In the middle of the panel, Jared announced that he and Gen were having a girl, which sent the crowd into congratulatory screams. Awwww.

The last question went to a young woman named Jasmine, who pretty much stood in for all of us as she smiled happily up at the boys.

They acted out how they tag team to crack up Misha on set, Jared making ridiculous faces while Jensen assures Misha that he can just “look at me”. He then gives Misha just one cocked eyebrow, and boom, that’s it.

Jensen sang them offstage with Rob, far too soon – as always.

Also this totally looks like Jared and Jensen are Rob’s back up (totally in sync of course) dancers lol

J2 thanks the fans

We got a Kings of Con panel to close out the con, where the anticipation ran high as the show was about to premiere.

The audience was filled with lots of Kings of Con crowns.

We all watched the Kings of Con promo, which features a naked Rob — filmed on his actual front lawn, which must have been a real treat for the neighbors.

Rich and Rob also gave us some amusing imitations of Sam and Dean in their 50th season of Supernatural. Here’s Dean as a little old man trying to drive the Impala lol

Rich and Rob got serious for a little while, talking about how being as close as they are made making Kings of Con a lot easier.

Rob: We have a kind of shorthand with each other which is a big plus.

Somehow Richard ended up saying that Rob is his bucket of water, and Richard is his eagle. And Rob put forward some metaphor about Richard carrying him gently in his talons, and I have no idea where it ended but at the time it was hysterical.

Rob: And you’d sweep me up in your talons…

Rich: No I wouldn’t, that sounds very sexual.

Rob: (exasperated) No it doesn’t!

It actually kinda did, though.

Shallow, I know…

And with that, it was the end of the con (as we know it) – with Louden Swain and Richard closing out the con.

Thanks to @mamaprior and @arkine13 for the watermarking and edits – you guys are the best partners ever!

Stay tuned for more from Burcon, including our exclusive chat with the beautiful and inspiring Alaina Huffman.

–LynnFor more on Supernatural and from the best cast ever,
check out our books on Supernatural at the links
on this page!

Love your coverage as always, I missed a few things and you cleared that up. I asked Jensen about Deans 45 and was thrilled with the response he gave. Had a brief moment to ask him later in autos about it more and he was very receptive. Really hope they come back to Burbank in 2018.

I told Rich in his M& G Sunday night that the KoC Old Men Winchester bit needed to be prefaced with a “Have you peed before we begin?” warning. He didn’t get it at first, but all of us ladies of some age knew exactly what I was talking about. 😂😅

Fan Phenomena: Supernatural on Amazon

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Our Story

This is the story of two college professors who fell hard for a show called Supernatural. Obsession, devotion, fascination, call it what you will. We decided to figure out what was going on with us by writing a book on fandom from the fans' perspective. As academics do, we hit the libraries and internet, accumulating stacks of articles and hundreds of pages of research. We typed and revised and theorized, quoted and footnoted, and ended up with an academic text crammed full of the current scholarship on fandom.

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Somewhere along the line, the research took a back seat to the road trip as we traveled across the US and Canada interviewing the show’s fans, as well as the actors and directors, writers, journalists, bloggers, convention organizers, significant others and insignificant hangers-on. Fangasm! is the story of that year-long roadtrip -- the surprises we never saw coming, the secrets uncovered, the behind-the-scenes insights, the heartwarming and heartbreaking fan confessions. It’s also the story of our shared obsession and the friendship that sustains us through 4 am line-ups, overtaxed credit cards, canceled flights and airport camp-outs, and of course the occasional accusations of insanity.

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Media Coverage

Check out the February 2016 issue of Nylon Magazine - we're quoted in an article about fandom!

What Else We’re Writing

We've written several articles for Supernatural Magazine, including features on the fan convention experience, and behind the scenes on the set. We have also written the academic version of this story, Fandom at the Crossroads: Celebration, Shame and Fan/Producer Relationships , and edited a collection on fan culture, Fan Culture: Theory/Practice.
You can also order our book Fan Phenomena: Supernatural, with chapters by cast, crew and fans of Supernatural. Check out what Misha Collins and Richard Speight, Jr. have to say in their insightful (and amusing) chapters. Click the links at the top of the page to order.

And coming in May 2017, look for an exciting new book - Family Don't End With Blood: Cast and Fans on How Supernatural Changed Lives with powerful chapters by ten Supernatural actors including Jared Padalecki!

Kathy is also the Principal Editor and Lynn on the Editorial Board of The Journal Of Fandom Studies, published by Intellect. The most recent issue is available now.